BHOPAL: Two days before Congress national president Rahul Gandhi hits the campaign trail in the BJP's bastion Malwa-Nimar, the ruling party's national spokesperson Sambit Patra raised the National Herald case, seeking reply Gandhi over the alleged corruption charges against him and mother Sonia Gandhi in the case.
Importantly, Patra raised the issue at a press conference on Saturday held by the BJP in full public glare on the roadside in front of a commercial building which was built on a land allotted to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) in Bhopal's MP Nagar area by the then Congress government in the state in 1981.The press conference, however, ended up triggering a controversy in the poll bound state, as the opposition Congress complained to the Election Commission, alleging the violation of poll code by the ruling party by holding the press conference on the road at the cost of public convenience sans any permission from authorities.
According to sources at the MP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office in Bhopal, the EC has sought a detailed report in the matter from the Bhopal district collector.Not only did the press conference on roadside by the BJP national spokesperson trigger a political controversy in the state, but there was scuffle between an alleged BJP worker and some journalists over raising question about holding such press conference.
"This is not an ordinary building, but a monument of corruption, which is built on land allotted to the AJL by the Congress government in 1981 for printing the National Herald newspaper. But presently, this building doesn't have any office publishing or printing the National Herald, instead it houses a commercial complex," said Patra.Quoting official documents, Patra said that the land was allocated for running a news paper but it was sold out as a city centre. -"How the land allocated for the work of public interest has become a business,-" he asked.
Detailing about the chronology of the case, Patra said the AJL was established during the era of late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for printing National Herald and Navjivan newspapers. But owing to losses, the company shut down operations in 2008. In 2010, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) named Young Indian was floated with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi having majority 76% share, while the remaining shares were held by other Congress leaders, among them Motilal Vora.
The Young Indian (YI) directors, including Rahul Gandhi, who were also on AJL board, besides being part of Congress. The AJL got unsecured loan of Rs 90 crore from the Congress party, but was unable to pay. The YI then paying a meager sum of Rs 50 lakh took over AJL properties worth Rs 5000 crores situated in multiple cities, including Indore and Bhopal.The mother-son duo using the YI pocketed Rs 5000 crore worth AJL properties in various cities, including Bhopal and Indore.
Patra subsequently demanded that Rahul Gandhi during his tour to MP, needs to reply the issues raised in the case against him and his mother.When questioned by the scribes as to why the BJP government which has been in power in MP since 15 years didn't do anything in the matter till now, Patra said eviction orders were issued thrice in 2011, 2012 and 2013, but those people who were running their businesses in the building in Bhopal had approached the local court and the case is presently sub-judice.
"The local court had already directed the local police to conduct an enquiry in the matter and submit report," he said.Earlier, just before the conference was to begin, Congress leader JP Dhanopiya reached the spot and raised objections over the holding of press conference on the road, which amounted to violation of poll code.
It led to heated argument between Dhanopiya and BJP state spokesperson Rahul Kothari.Later, a Congress delegation led by state media in-charge Shobha Oza and including in-charge of EC related matters Dhanopiya submitted a complaint at the CEO MP office, alleging code of conduct violation by the BJP.Oza told The New Indian Express that the permission was given by an SDM to hold the press conference between 1 and 3 pm, but the conference was held between 12 pm and 12.30 pm, which amounted to violation of model code of conduct.
"We've raised the matter, demanding lodging of case of poll code violation against BJP leaders, besides seeking action against the concerned SDM for permitting to hold press conference on road at the cost of public convenience," said Oza.